page_title: Geology of England
section_title: Carboniferous period
hierarchical_section_title: Geology of England / Geological history / Phanerozoic eon / Palaeozoic era / Carboniferous period
caption_attribution_description: English: Limestone pavement above Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales, taken by Lupin on 3/Nov/2003.
context_page_description: The geology of England is mainly sedimentary. The youngest rocks are in the south east around London, progressing in age in a north westerly direction. The Tees-Exe line marks the division between younger, softer and low-lying rocks in the south east and the generally older and harder rocks of the north and west which give rise to higher relief in those regions. The geology of England is recognisable in the landscape of its counties, the building materials of its towns and its regional extractive industries.
context_section_description: Around 360 million years ago during the Carboniferous period, England was lying at the equator, covered by the warm shallow waters of the Rheic Ocean. During this time Carboniferous Limestone was deposited, as found in the Mendip Hills, in the Peak District of Derbyshire, north Lancashire and the northern Pennines. The erosion of this landscape by carbonation has led to very distinctive scenery.  Particularly notable is the area around Malham in the Yorkshire Dales with its limestone pavements, sink holes and shake holes.  Gaping Gill contains a waterfall disappearing underground into the Carboniferous limestone.
  The formation of Carboniferous Limestone was followed by the deposition of dark marine shales, siltstones and coarse sandstones of the Millstone Grit, notably in the area later uplifted to form the Pennine anticline. This sequence can be seen in the Yorkshire Dales with Ingleborough protruding up above the Carboniferous Limestone landscape below.
  Later, river deltas formed and the sediments deposited were colonised by swamps and rain forest. It was in this environment that the cyclic coal measures were formed.  Coal can be found as far south as Kent with deposits stretching northwards to Tyne and Wear; though coal has largely been mined in the Midlands and northern England. One of the best exposures of the Coal Measures is on the north east coast between Whitley Bay and Seaton Sluice.
caption: Limestone pavement above Malham Cove in part of the Yorkshire Dales formed of Carboniferous limestone
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